Earthquakes Sign Salvadoran National Team Captain Ramon Sanchez

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- The San Jose Earthquakes announced today that the team has signed the captain of the El Salvador national team Ramon Sanchez. Per league and team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. He will be added to the roster pending the arrival of his ITC.

"There have been a number of successful players in Major League Soccer from El Salvador and we think that Ramon has the ability to make an impact here also," said General Manager John Doyle. "We were looking for a player to solidify the central midfield. He has experience playing that position in a number of important games for his country and we believe he can fill that role for us."

The 27-year-old central midfielder has made more than 50 appearances for El Salvador's senior national squad, scoring two goals. In 2002 he won the gold medal with the Salvadoran under-22 team in the Juegos Deportivos Centroamericanos, beating Mexico in the final.

Sanchez played most recently with El Salvador in the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He also appeared in the 2007 Gold Cup and 2003 Gold Cup. The San Juan Opico native has also appeared in every World Cup qualifying match for the upcoming tournament in South Africa. He was part of the Salvadoran team that competed in World Cup qualifying for Germany 2006.

Sanchez most recently played professionally with Alianza F.C. of the first division in El Salvador. He scored three goals in the 2009 season for Alianza, which was good for second most on the team. Sanchez has also played for Arcense, San Salvador F.C. and C.D. Chalatenango, before joining Alianza in 2008. He has played 227 games in the Salvadoran first division and scored 19 goals.